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Celebrating 60 Years of UCF: A Legacy of Excellence, A Future of Possibilities
The University of Central Florida was founded in 1963 to fuel the talent and technology needs of America’s growing space program at the Space Coast. From the beginning, UCF’s purpose has been to help people and organizations “Reach for the Stars,” which is the university’s official motto. As you look across the constellation of industry, […]
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UCF Researchers Are Contributing to World Oceans Day
One of Florida’s most precious resources is its water from the aquifer to the 8,436 miles of coastline, boarded by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean. Water is also a major player in the state’s economy, contributing $56 billion to the economy and generating 900,000 jobs according to a […]
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UCF Uses 6-Foot ‘Test Tubes’ to Study Red Tide
A potential treatment for Florida’s devastating red tides took another step toward widespread deployment after successful testing in Sarasota Bay. Additional detailed data analysis is required to confirm results, but UCF Assistant Professor of Biology Kristy Lewis is encouraged by the large-scale test of a red tide mitigation technology called clay flocculation that was performed […]
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Offshore and Coastal Risk Analyses May Misrepresent Wave Storms from Extreme Weather Like Bomb Cyclones
Extreme weather events, such as the storm waves generated by the cyclone that recently moved across California, may be underestimated in many models used to estimate coastal flooding, according to a new study led by University of Central Florida researchers. The study, which was published this week in the journal Science Advances, shows that models […]
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2022 College of Sciences Year in Review
A glimpse at another year of exploration, innovation and scholarship in the College of Sciences. Over the course of the year, College of Sciences faculty, staff, and students worked hard to accomplish great things. At the heart of their accomplishments is a desire to create a greater tomorrow and a stronger community. Follow along to […]
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UCF Hospitality Researchers’ Expertise Is Tapped for Global Sustainable Tourism Report
University of Central Florida hospitality researchers have co-authored an international report that identifies ways to ensure sustainable coastal and marine tourism around the globe. These include a renewed focus on stimulating new high-quality economic opportunities for local communities, restoring the natural environment and revitalizing cultural heritage and communities, the report states. The work is being […]
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Another Record Year for UCF — 8 NSF CAREER Award Winners
The U.S. National Science Foundation has named eight UCF professors 2022 NSF CAREER award recipients. All of the recipients are engineers by training who are working on interdisciplinary projects that aim to improve health or to develop new technology that promises to improve our lives. The awardees represent the most promising junior researchers in the […]
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UCF Researchers Are Contributing to World Oceans Day
One of Florida’s most precious resources is its water from the aquifer to the 8,436 miles of coastline, boarded by the Gulf of Mexico, the Straits of Florida, and the Atlantic Ocean. Water is also a major player in the state’s economy, contributing $56 billion to the economy and generating 900,000 jobs according to a […]
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When Hurricanes Strike, Social Media Can Save Lives
Everyone knows that while disinformation is a problem, social media is a powerful tool for communicating fast in an emergency. In 2011 only about 10% of the U.S. population turned to social media for information during a crisis, according to several studies. Today that number is closer to 70%. A new study from the University […]
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New Tool from UCF-led Team Shows Homeowners and Renters the True Cost of Disasters
In some areas of the Southeast, such as Florida, the housing market is booming, but with hurricanes and other natural disasters posing annual threats, the true cost of owning a home in the region may be largely unknown. That’s why the University of Central Florida and a team of researchers from across the country have […]
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Using the Arts to Take a Deep Dive into the Sea
A few phenomena will occur as the audience settles into Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, April 9. This is what happens when you drift into the seagrass with clown fish: Breathing eases. The blood pressure drops. Stress goes poof. For this two-hour show in the middle of […]
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Researchers Develop Method to Determine Where Storm Surges Are Increasing Most
Extreme storms, like Sandy or Xaver, don’t happen often but when they do, cities need to be prepared. That’s why researchers have developed a new method, detailed in a study published this week in Nature, to determine where extreme events, like 100-year storm floods, are more likely to occur, whether the likelihood of such extremes […]
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From the ‘Smithsonian’ Magazine to the Tonight Show, UCF Research has a Big Year in the News
UCF research stories were everywhere in 2021 from Smithsonian magazine to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The most popular research stories of 2021 focused on threats to our survival and opportunities to advance our species — from the impact of sea rise to technology that promises to propel our exploration of the solar system. […]
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21 Faculty Members Inducted into UCF Scroll and Quill Society
The 21 new inductees of UCF’s Scroll and Quill Society represent a broad spectrum of academic expertise, such as fiction writing, artificial intelligence, police-community relations, nursing and terrorist recruiting tactics on social media. The Scroll and Quill Society celebrates faculty members who for at least a decade have made scholarly contributions of impact to advance […]
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Clues Emerge: How Harmless Bacteria Go Rogue Turning into Deadly Flesh-eating Variants
For bacteria, like people, lifestyle matters. A new study from the University of Central Florida found that the environmental lifestyle that bacteria possess reveal why some go rogue and turn deadly while others remain harmless to humans. The findings, which published recently in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focus on Vibrio […]
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UCF’s Brightest Shine During Luminary Awards
The UCF community celebrated the accomplishments of 15 exceptional faculty members at its annual Luminary Awards Night. UCF leadership lauded faculty members for being leaders in their fields and conducting work that has had a significant impact on the world. COVID-19 disrupted plans for the recognition ceremony in 2020 so UCF honored the 2020 and […]
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UCF Researcher is Part of New $20 Million NSF Megalopolitan Coastal Project
A University of Central Florida researcher is part of a new, nearly $20 million award from the U.S. National Science Foundation that will develop a Megalopolitan Coastal Transformation Hub. The hub, known as MACH, will be led by Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and will involve multiple universities and experts from across disciplines. […]
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‘CBS This Morning: Saturday’ Features UCF Professor’s Work With Oysters, Climate Change
A recent segment of “CBS This Morning: Saturday” highlighted UCF Pegasus Professor of Biology Linda Walters’ work with oyster reefs, which are vital to healthy waters in Florida. The segment kicks off with an interview with Walters and CBS anchor Lonnie Quinn at Mosquito Lagoon, which is part of the Indian River Lagoon and a […]
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Research in 60 Seconds: Marine Bacteria and Infectious Diseases
Assistant Professor of Medicine Salvador Almagro-Moreno researches how the evolution of marine bacteria can help predict infectious outbreaks and be used to design treatments against these threats.
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UCF Researchers Create Global Storm Surge Database
Storm surges can be deadly coastal hazards but the current historical tide gauge data that is needed to better understand them, and perhaps predict their impacts, doesn’t go far back enough in time. That’s why University of Central Florida researchers are working to reconstruct the missing data and compile the information in a newly created […]
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From Bloom to Bust
Clean water is the thread that ties waterfront communities together, drives their economies, and provides a high quality of life for residents and an unforgettable experience for visitors. However, as human activities threaten the world’s waterways in multiple ways, HAB events pose increasing biological and socio-economic risks. Nutrient runoff from streets, lawns, septic tanks, and […]
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Valuing the Negative Impacts of Harmful Algae Blooms
Clean water is important for coastal communities. Not only does it have a direct impact on health and the environment, but it is also critical for tourism and driving local economies. In recent years, warmer temperatures and nutrient pollution have led to an increase in the frequency and severity of eutrophication—a process where a water […]
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NSF Grant Fuels Next Stage of Deadly Waterborne Bacteria Study
Ongoing research to investigate the behavior of deadly waterborne bacteria recently received a big boost in the form of a National Science Foundation CAREER award. The $782,351 award, spread out over five years, further validates the work of Assistant Professor Salvador Almagro-Moreno, Ph.D., and his research into members of the bacterial family Vibrionaceae. Members of […]
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Legendary Sargasso Sea May be Sea Turtles’ Destination during Mysterious ‘Lost Years’
New research indicates that the legendary Sargasso Sea, which includes part of the Bermuda Triangle and has long featured in fiction as a place where ships go derelict, may actually be an important nursery habitat for young sea turtles. In a study led by a University of Central Florida researcher and published today in the […]
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Florida Academy of Sciences Names UCF Biologist as 2021 Medalist
The Florida Academy of Sciences today named UCF Biology Professor Linda Walters its 2021 Medalist during its annual conference. The Academy, which is an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, honors one Floridian each year based on the nominee’s contributions to the advancement of science and outstanding efforts to share that […]
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Research: Shifting Perspective on Fish from Commodity to Resource Holds World-Changing Potential
Viewing fish as a source of global nutrition instead of only as a commodity holds potential to fortify global food security and diminish world hunger, a new international study shows. The paper, published in the journal Ambio, includes an analysis by Professor Peter Jacques, Ph.D, an expert in global environmental politics and ocean policy from […]
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Coastal Changes Worsen Nuisance Flooding on Many U.S. Shorelines, Study Finds
Nuisance flooding has increased on U.S. coasts in recent decades due to sea level rise, and new research co-authored by the University of Central Florida uncovered an additional reason for its added frequency. In a study appearing today in the journal Science Advances, researchers show that higher local tide ranges, most likely from human alterations […]
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UCF Genetics Expertise Extends to the Land Down Under
The genetic expertise of University of Central Florida researchers is extending all the way to the land down under in a new study of a unique animal of Australia’s waters – the weedy seadragon. In the study, which appeared recently in the journal PLOS One, UCF researchers helped discover that the weedy seadragon found off […]
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UCF Engineering and Biology Researchers Collaborate to Aid Coral Reef Restoration
Florida’s threatened coral reefs have a more than $4 billion annual economic impact on the state’s economy, and University of Central Florida researchers are zeroing in on one factor that could be limiting their survival – coral skeleton strength. In a new study published in the journal Coral Reefs, UCF engineering researchers tested how well […]
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DNA Analysis From Chemistry Lab Provides Water Insights for Orange County, Orlando
Chemistry Assistant Professor Melanie Beazley, Ph.D., and her team have developed a groundbreaking biochemical analysis to identify excess contaminants and nutrients in Orlando’s local lakes caused by native Florida birds. The research, done in collaboration with Orange County and the City of Orlando, uses the DNA of contaminant-inducing agents against specific biomarkers to identify and […]